Green Teas

Gunpowder Tea, Pingshui Gunpowder (Zhucha)

Legend has it that the name Gunpowder was given by a young English clerk in the tea trade who thought its tiny, tightly rolled green balls looked like gunpowder. It was formerly sold in sizes with identifications like Pinhead and Pea Leaf. The Chinese name Zhucha (Pearl Tea) is also an apt description. Pingshui refers to the town of Pingshui lying southwest of Shanghai across Hangzhou Bay, or more specifically, south of Shaoxing in Zhejiang province. Gunpowder is produced there and in surrounding counties.

Rolling the choice tender leaves into this unusual shape requires special skill. But these tightly rolled nuggets have the ability to keep longer than other green teas, which quickly lose their flavor in storage.

When tea is made, the tiny pellets jingle and tinkle into the pot or cup. Boiling water causes them to open up like flowers and float or sink slowly to the bottom in graceful patterns of dark and lighter greens which add a dimension of visual pleasure to tea drinking. They produce a strong, dark-green brew with a memorable fragrance, a slightly bitter but not unpleasant flavor, and a long-lasting aftertaste. Gunpowder is heavier than most other teas, so three to five grams (one to two teaspoons) to a pot is the recommended amount.

Chinese exporters also recommend Gunpowder for iced tea flavored with lemon and sugar, though they probably do not drink it themselves, as tea is always served hot in China. Gunpowder is popular in Morocco, where the leaves are boiled and mint and sugar are added.

Gunpowder was one of the first Chinese teas to be exported, beginning in the early seventeenth century. When it was presented as tribute to Emperor Kang Xi (r. 1661-1722), it became one of his favorites. In the early eighteenth century, despite its relatively high price, this tea enjoyed popularity in Europe under the names Green Pearl and Hyson. The latter came from the Chinese Xi Chun, meaning (Kang) Xi Spring. The name Hyson latter became associated with a complete different long, twisted tea.

China's highest historical point in Gunpowder production was in the decade 1883-1894. It was once very popular in the United States, comprising nearly two-thirds of all tea imported there in 1860. Today China's exports far surpass that historical high, and the price has been made lower by volume production.

In 1984 Temple of Heaven Brand Special Gunpowder won a gold medal at the Twenty-third Judging of the International Institute for Quality Selections in the Canned Food and Other Food Products Selections in the Canned Food and Other Food Products Selection held in Madrid. The Institute is composed of members from ten countries in Europe and the Americas.

Gunpowder tea is held to be high in fluoride, known to reduce dental caries - 100 to 150 parts per million, 60 to 80 percent of which can be extracted, according to Chinese researchers. They say the human body uses 1-2 milligrams of fluoride a day, which must be obtained from food and drink. Ten grams of Gunpowder (enough for two strong cups) can supply this amount.

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